Homeless man in the Bronx charged with attempting to rape 8-year-old girl: cops

Justin Ramirez (l.), 21, appears Tuesday at Bronx Criminal Court, where he was arraigned and charged with attempted rape of an 8-year-old girl. (Michael Schwartz for New York Daily News)

A 21-year-old homeless man high on K2 molested and tried to rape an 8-year-old girl as she walked into her Bronx building, authorities said Tuesday.

Justin Ramirez is facing sex abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child charges for the Oct. 24 attack near Walton Ave. in Washington Heights, cops said.

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He approached the small girl from behind around 5:30 p.m., covered her mouth with his arm and proceeded to put his hand down her pants, cops said. When the child began screaming, Ramirez ran off.

The young victim was treated at a nearby hospital and released.

Detectives identified Ramirez as a possible suspect early in their investigation and took him in for questioning, but the girl was unable to pick him out of a lineup, police sources said. Ramirez asked for a lawyer and couldn't be questioned further.

He was let go, but a Crime Stoppers tip that put Ramirez at the scene helped investigators fill in some of the missing pieces.

On Sunday, while being questioned a second time, he admitted to attacking the girl.

Detectives identified Ramirez as a possible suspect early in their investigation of the young girl’s assault. (DCPI)

He claimed he was high on K2 when he approached the child, police sources said.

After he ran off, Ramirez ditched his clothes, but had told his aunt where he put them, he admitted.

Ramirez has been arrested multiple times before on charges that include robbery and assault, police sources said.